John Day in Grant County, Oregon — The American West (Northwest)
Welcome to Kam Wah Chung
Photographed By Don Hann, August 19, 2017
1. Welcome to Kam Wah Chung Marker
Inscription.
Welcome to Kam Wah Chung. .
Welcome to Kam Wah Chung. In 1890 you would be standing in the middle of a bustling Chinatown.Businesses and homes all around you, the temple in front, and Kam Wah Chung- the core of the community- would be to your left. Why is it the only building remaining? Why did Doc Hay and Lung On stay when the rest of the community left? Come and let us tell you the story!,
The Golden Flower of Prosperity. Imagine journeying to a distant, strange land where you are a minority; you don't speak the language, and hostility is common. That was reality for Chinese immigrants to Oregon in the 1800s. To those who reached John Day, Kam Wah Chung---the Golden Flower of Posterity---was a lifeline, linking them to loved ones and to the lives they once lived.,
The Golden Mountain Beckons. Would You Leave Home? No food, no work and little hope in war-torn China. Across the Pacific, the Golden Mountain (California) beckons. The catch? Perhaps never again seeing your wife, children or home., The Way to John Day In the late 1800s, massive hydraulic mining operations based in nearby Canyon City needed cheap labor. Word spread and the Chinese came by the thousands. By 1885, almost everyone in Canyon City employed a Chinese laborer. When their homes and businesses burned later that year, many Chinese moved to the thriving Chinatown, centered at Kam Wah Chung.,
Pulses, Plants and Persistence. Around the turn of the 20th century, the gold played out and the once bustling Chinese community melted away. But by now Doc Hay and Lung On---"Leon" as he was known to the townspeople---were valued members of the community, so they stayed on, and Kam Wah Chung and Co. persisted.
Welcome to Kam Wah Chung
In 1890 you would be standing in the middle of a bustling Chinatown.Businesses and homes all around you, the temple in front, and Kam Wah Chung- the core of the community- would be to your left. Why is it the only building remaining? Why did Doc Hay and Lung On stay when the rest of the community left? Come and let us tell you the story!
The Golden Flower of Prosperity
Imagine journeying to a distant, strange land where you are a minority; you don't speak the language, and hostility is common. That was reality for Chinese immigrants to Oregon in the 1800s. To those who reached John Day, Kam Wah Chung---the Golden Flower of Posterity---was a lifeline, linking them to loved ones and to the lives they once lived.
The Golden Mountain Beckons
Would You Leave Home?
No food, no work and little hope in war-torn China. Across the Pacific, the Golden Mountain (California) beckons. The catch? Perhaps never again seeing your wife, children or home.
The Way to John Day
In the late 1800s, massive hydraulic mining operations based in nearby Canyon City needed cheap labor. Word spread and the Chinese came by the thousands. By 1885, almost everyone in Canyon City employed a Chinese laborer. When their
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homes and businesses burned later that year, many Chinese moved to the thriving Chinatown, centered at Kam Wah Chung.
Pulses, Plants & Persistence
Around the turn of the 20th century, the gold played out and the once bustling Chinese community melted away. But by now Doc Hay and Lung On---"Leon" as he was known to the townspeople---were valued members of the community, so they stayed on, and Kam Wah Chung and Co. persisted.
Location. 44° 25.133′ N, 118° 57.342′ W. Marker is in John Day, Oregon, in Grant County. Marker is on NW Canton Street when traveling north. The markers are located in the parking area at the end of Canton Street right in front of the historic Kam Wah Chung building. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: John Day OR 97845, United States of America. Touch for directions.
More about this marker. There are four markers at this location telling the story of Kam Wah Chung and the John Day Chinatown.
Regarding Welcome to Kam Wah Chung. If visiting during open season be sure to stop at the visitor center to go through their exhibits and get a ticket for the free tour inside the building.
Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker.
Photographed By Don Hann, August 19, 2017
3. The Golden Mountain Beckons
Third in series of markers
Photographed By Don Hann, August 17, 2017
4. Pulses, Plants & Persistence
Fourth in the series of markers
Photographed By Don Hann, August 19, 2017
5. The Welcome to Kam Wah Chung Series of Markers
Overview of markers from the parking lot at the end of Canton Street
Photographed By Don Hann
6. The Kam Wah Chung Building
Credits. This page was last revised on May 2, 2020. It was originally submitted on August 20, 2017, by Don Hann of Canyon City, Oregon. This page has been viewed 226 times since then and 13 times this year. Last updated on January 17, 2018, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. Photos:1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6. submitted on August 20, 2017, by Don Hann of Canyon City, Oregon. • Syd Whittle was the editor who published this page.
